Saree: Dress Code For Those Coming In Short Dresses To Kashi Vishwanath Temple

23 November, Varanasi

Saree has been made the dress code for women particularly the foreign Stourists wearing short dresses at the Kashi Vishwanath temple here.

The security personnel will now keep an eye on women pilgrims who enter the temple premises wearing short dresses.

Kashi Vishwanath Temples additional chief executive officer P N Dwivedi said here today that the dress code has been imposed following the demands of the domestic pilgrims, particularly those hailing from South India, who raised objections to the revealing dresses of foreigners.

Such pilgrims would be either told come properly dressed or directed to nearby kiosks where they can drape a saree before entering the temple.

The temple administration has imposed a ban on the entry of foreign women wearing revealing clothes and have introduced a dress code for them. Such foreigners will now have to wear a saree. For the purpose, the temple authorities have so far provided 25 sarees at the two entry points.

Female police personnel have been deployed at these entry points to help such pilgrims in draping a saree.

Devotees from South India had been making demand of saree for women and dhoti-kurta for men on the lines of the dress code in Tirupati Balaji temple. It looks awkward when foreign female tourists enter the temple wearing short dresses, Mr Dwivedi said.

But there is no objection on women wearing jeans and trousers.

The temple administration said they are also planning to introduce dress code of dhoti for male devotees in future.

These changes will be done gradually. First , it has been started with the dress code of saree, he said, adding that the dress code is applicable for Indian women too.

Foreign tourists’ attire would be checked at two points first at the police outpost outside the temple campus where foreign tourists produce their passports before security personnel and checking will be done at temple counter inside the premises too. Changing rooms have been set up at both the places for the convenience of the tourists.

He said introducing the dress code will give a good message about Indian culture.

On an average, 60,000 devotees visit the temple every day with around five per cent of them being foreigners.